The National Caucus of the ruling PDP has explained that the suspension of Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers was not lifted because of a pending case challenging the action.<\/p>\n
The party organ gave the explanation late on Tuesday after a meeting, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.<\/p>\n
In an interview with State House correspondents after the closed-door meeting which ended at about 11 p.m., the Chairman of the\u00a0 PDP Governors Forum, Mr Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, said the body was briefed on Amaechi\u2019s suspension.<\/p>\n
Akpabio explained that reversing Amaechi\u2019s suspension from the party would amount to over-reaching the decision of a competent court, sitting on the case challenging the action.<\/p>\n
He said that it was easy for the National Working Committee (NWC) to lift the suspension of Sokoto governor Aliyu Wamakko because the matter was not in court.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe PDP National Caucus was fully briefed on all issues pertaining to the party.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe made an appeal to the NWC to look at the suspension but the one of the Rivers State Governor is sub-judice because he has gone to court.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one of Sokoto did not go to court and so the suspension was lifted,\u201d Akpabio said.<\/p>\n
Amaechi was suspended on May 27, over allegations concerning his refusal to heed the party\u2019s instruction to reinstate the elected council chairman of Obio\/Akpor Local Government Council in Rivers.<\/p>\n
Wamakko, who was suspended on June 5 for alleged serial disobedience to party authority, had been recalled by the party.<\/p>\n
Akpabio said that the meeting also deliberated on the lingering crisis within the party and agreed that a high-powered team headed by the president should immediately embark on reconciliation.<\/p>\n
He said the team would consult with aggrieved members, to bring them back to the fold.<\/p>\n
He said that the PDP at its NEC meeting on Thursday, considered the report by INEC which faulted the election of some members of the National Working Committee.<\/p>\n
He refuted media reports that President Jonathan had ordered that the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and other executive members should resign.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that he (Tukur) is the National Chairman.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn fact, NEC will look at INEC\u2019s report that some national officers were not properly elected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will look at that as a party. I don\u2019t see any problem with the national chairman.\u201d<\/p>\n
Akpabio also disclosed that the meeting had set up a special committee to look at the guidelines that would be presented at the NEC meeting on Thursday for approval.<\/p>\n
\u201cMembers were drawn from the National Assembly which of course includes the senate leader and also the whip of the National Assembly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
(NAN)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The National Caucus of the ruling PDP has explained that the suspension of Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers was not lifted because of a pending case challenging the action. The…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n